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Jun 14, 2019 By Christopher Roberts Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen has released a new solo album, Western Stars, today via Columbia. Now he has shared a video for its title track, “Western Stars.” Watch it below. Also, now that the album is out, you can stream the whole thing below too. Plus we just posted an in-depth review of Western Stars written by longtime Springsteen fan (and longtime Under the Radar writer) Chris Tinkham and you can read that here.

“Western Stars” is about an aging actor of Western movies. “Once I was shot by John Wayne/Yeah, it was towards the end/That one scene’s brought me a thousand drinks,” sings Springsteen in the song. Thom Zimny directed the video, which was filmed in Joshua Tree, California.

Western Stars is his first studio album in five years, since 2014’s High Hopes. Previously he shared a lyric video for its first single, “Hello Sunshine.” The string-backed song features slide guitar and has a late ‘60s and early ‘70s country vibe à la Jimmy Webb and Glen Campbell. It was our #1 Song of the Week. Then he shared another song from it, “There Goes My Miracle.” That was followed by “Tucson Train,” a string-backed workingman’s love song that was shared via a Thom Zimny-directed black & white video for the song (it was also one of our Songs of the Week).

The album features 13 original songs by Springsteen and was primarily recorded at his home in New Jersey, with additional recording in California and New York. A previous press release said that Springsteen’s 19th studio album draws “inspiration in part from the Southern California pop records of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s” and that the tracks “encompass a sweeping range of American themes, of highways and desert spaces, of isolation and community and the permanence of home and hope.”

Springsteen produced the album alongside Ron Aniello, who also plays bass, keyboard, and other instruments. Patti Scialfa provides vocals and contributes vocal arrangements on four tracks. The musical arrangements include strings, horns, pedal steel and contributions from

The album also features more than 20 other players, such as Patti Scialfa (who does vocals and vocal arrangements on four tracks), Jon Brion (on celeste, Moog, and farfisa), David Sancious, Charlie Giordano, and Soozie Tyrell. Tom Elmhirst mixed the album.

Springsteen had this to say about the album in the previous press release: “This record is a return to my solo recordings featuring character driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangements. It’s a jewel box of a record.”

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